Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena Read Free Book Online

inaudible in all the commotion. Kiyomi’s blood pressure was now down to 75.
       
        Yoshizumi, accompanied by
Odagiri and two staff members, entered the university hospital. They brought
with them a minimal, but essential array of surgical equipment and perfusion
containers for Kiyomi’s kidneys. This being a university hospital, there was
plenty of technology at their disposal, but Yoshizumi never forgot to have his
own by his side for an extraction. Because speed was so imperative, it only
made sense to use his own familiar tools.
        After exchanging greetings
with the hospital staff, Yoshizumi left Odagiri in the waiting room and went
into the ICU to check on the donor. Her blood pressure was nearing 65 and her
heart rate was down to 30 beats per minute. Once her blood pressure fell below
50, circulation would no longer be complete, and cells in her extremities would
begin to decay. Since the donor’s family had consented to the procedure, the
catheter was going to be inserted into her femoral artery now so that they
would be ready when the pressure fell below 50. The head doctor showed the
donor’s data to Yoshizumi for confirmation. Odagiri was then informed via
intercom that the catheter was being inserted.
        Fifteen minutes later,
Yoshizumi and his assistants prepared the perfusion equipment. They spread the
donor’s legs slightly and placed the machinery between her feet. One of the
assistants soon began to adjust the equipment settings while another
disinfected the area around her thighs, whereupon a silicon double balloon-tip
catheter was readied. When sterilization was complete, Yoshizumi looked at the
donor, standing at her left side, and patiently confirmed that the femoral
artery and vein were well secured. After a quick glance to see that his team
was on full standby, he inserted the balloon-tip catheter into the donor.
        He carefully advanced the
catheter until the balloon arrived at the right spot. Yoshizumi indicated his
approval to the assistants with a single nod and told them exactly what to do.
They connected a perfusion pump to the end of the catheter. He then guided the
catheter into the femoral vein and had it connected as well. All preparatory
steps were now complete. Her blood pressure was at 62, and her heart rate had
fallen further.
        Yoshizumi and his crew
temporarily exited the ICU to wait it out. Noticing the family, he signaled for
them to be let in and headed to the doctor’s office. He hadn’t met the family
yet, and it was indeed his belief that he should keep a low profile with them.
For the bereaved, a transplant surgeon was no better than a hyena snatching
away the body of a relative. He did plan to meet with them just once, before
the actual operation, but it was the coordinator’s task to intermediate between
them. No need to risk upsetting the family. Yoshizumi sipped some coffee in the
office, reclined on the couch, and looked up at the ceiling.
        Mariko Anzai’s face came to
him.
       
        SHE sensed the change.
        Kiyomi Nagashima’s body was
crossing over to Death. After the accident, her metamorphosis had proceeded
slowly hut surely. Now it was accelerating. Kiyomi was dying; her body was
losing warmth, and it would stiffen first, and eventually dissolve. Her brain
had already begun its deterioration. Hormonal discharges would soon stop. Blood
flow was weakening. Cells were rupturing and crudely spewing their contents.
        Everything was proceeding
according to plan.
        Robbing Kiyomi of her vision
was the easy part. A little trick on her optical nerves was all it took. In
that small window of opportunity, She induced Kiyomi’s hands to turn the wheel
off course. Her primary concern was ensuring that the accident didn’t damage
Kiyomi’s body too much. It had to be brain death. If, by the minuscule chance,
she’d ruptured any internal organs by hitting her abdomen instead of her head,
there would be no talk of